MHA Keystone Center Leadership Corner: February 2018
Posted on February 08, 2018
The Leadership Corner features monthly updates from the Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA) leadership team. The updates will provide new insights to patient safety and quality as well as information obtained from healthcare workshops and conferences across the country.
Gary Roth, DO, MBA, FACOS, FCCM, FACS, chief medical officer, Michigan Health & Hospital Association (MHA), discusses the dangers of heart disease and the importance of making yourself a priority in the new year.
Look in the Mirror
February is American Heart Month.
Heart disease is the No. 1 killer for Americans and stroke is the third leading cause of death. Therefore, it is extremely likely we each know someone who has been affected by heart disease or stroke.
More than 2,200 American succumb to cardiovascular disease every day, which means some people reading this article may have personally experienced a cardiac of neurologic event.
Look at your watch and see how long it takes to read this article. Two minutes? Three people died. Ten minutes to review this newsletter – 15 people dead. One in three deaths in the United States is associated with cardiovascular disease.
Michigan ranks No. 8 in the U.S. for cardiac mortality. In 2016, 32.5 percent of Michigan adults were reported as obese and 20.4 percent of Michiganders reportedly were smokers, which contributes to Michigan’s high cardiac mortality ranking.
Cardiovascular disease it is not just a disease for men. Breast cancer takes thousands of lives annually. However, the likelihood of a women dying from heart disease is six times greater than from breast cancer.
As a physician, I am devoted to the safe care of patients and communities. As a cardiac surgeon who has spent more than 30 years addressing the after-effects of cardiovascular disease, I have witnessed lives lost, how a patient’s quality of life suffers and the effects on their loved ones.
I could prescribe an approach to reduce risks factors for heart disease, but the reality is you most likely already know the answers.
As we welcome the new year, we have many opportunities to self-reflect and look in the mirror. For 2018, make your health, wellness and self-care a priority. Eat better, be more active, sleep better and play more. Make the shift and commit to yourself.
This article was featured in the MHA Keystone Center Newsletter. To subscribe, please contact Ashley Sandborn, MHA Keystone Center communications specialist.
Tags: MHA Keystone Center, heart month
Posted in: Patient Safety & Quality